


idkhow but you found me

by FrankieGoesToHollywood



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Established Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, F/M, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Richie Tozier Flirts, Singer Richie Tozier, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29026560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrankieGoesToHollywood/pseuds/FrankieGoesToHollywood
Summary: Eddie is invited to a concert by a friend he hasn't seen in years. He'd take that over a work night out any day. Of course it helps that the singer is the hottest man he's ever seen in his life
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The IT/I don't know how but they found me crossover that nobody asked for! All song lyrics are by idkhow

Edward Kaspbrak was a senior in his company. So senior that he could avoid most after work gatherings by saying “I’ll check my diary” alone. 

Tonight was not one of those occasions.

Tonight, Eddie found himself sitting around a table with twelve colleagues he knew and cared little about, sipping a lukewarm beer, pretending to listen to James the intern’s gap year stories. He smiled and nodded politely, laughing when those around him did, the whole time wondering how early he could leave without being considered rude. 

He had concluded that leaving after one beer was, in fact, rude. 

The minute their conversation lulled, Eddie ducked out and headed for the bar, placing his empty bottle on the counter top alongside a crisp five dollar bill in anticipation of his next round. He waited, looking around at nothing in particular, and decided that two would be his limit and driving was his excuse. Perfect. Polite, but distant. He smiled his thanks as the barman placed a bottle in front of him. Entirely too caught up in his own thoughts, Eddie almost missed the call of his name.

“Eddie? Eddie Kaspbrak?”, a voice sounded from across the bar. He looked around.

“Eddie!” A man was walking towards him, smiling so genuinely that Eddie thought he must have the wrong person. No way would someone he knows be that happy to see him. Another second passed.

“Ben? Hanscom?” he asked. The man, Ben, sped up, catching Eddie in an awkward yet friendly embrace.

“Yeah! Wow it’s been so long man, how have you been?” 

Eddie hugged him, patting his back. “Good, I’m good! Just here for a few beers after work, how are you?”

Ben was still smiling as they pulled away from each other. “I’m good! I’m just grabbing a few beers before I head to my girlfriends gig”, he answered proudly.

“Your girlfriend’s a singer?” Eddie asked.

Ben laughed. “A drummer actually.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows. “That is cooler than I was expecting, I won’t lie man.”

Ben laughed again. “She’s so much cooler than me, I love it! She’s in a band called ‘The Maine Revival’, it’s just her and her friend and they are incredible man, they’re something straight out of the eighties…” 

Eddie gestured to the barman for two more beers, handing over another five dollar tip. He turned back to Ben to find him still entirely wrapped up in explaining the premise of this band. ‘Shit, I must have tuned out’ he thought. Still, Ben’s enthusiasm was infectious. “I’ll have to check them out sometime,” he said noncommittally.

Ben stopped, his eyes growing wider. “Come with me tonight!” 

Eddie paused. 

“Ah, no, you don’t have to man, sorry, you’re here with your work friends, we haven’t seen each other in years, I just got excited.”

Eddie thought it over a little. He certainly wasn’t here with his friends. Sure he hadn’t seen Ben in years but he really did like him. He took a sip of his beer. ‘Fuck it’, he thought. 

“Yeah I’ll come” he said softly. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” He sipped his beer. “Yeah man, I’ve worked 60 hours this week. I deserve to do something spontaneous. It would be really nice to catch up with you too.” He smiled nervously. 

Ben pulled him into another hug, this one much less awkward, and was beaming again. “I’ll get the next round.” 

90 minutes later Eddie found himself sitting at a tiny table in an underground bar that he’d never heard of. He’d switched to gin, since he was making a night of it. He couldn’t actually remember leaving the bar they met in. Spending time with Ben felt so easy and familiar, years worth of stories bubbling up between explanations of their careers and personal lives. 

“So this band”, started Eddie. “Tell me more about it”.

Ben opened his mouth just as the house lights went down and the whole place was illuminated in blue. Two figures were on stage, one with his back turned to the crowd, tuning a guitar, the other sitting behind a set of drums. 

“You’ll see!”, Ben smiled.

Eddie turned to face the stage, gin in hand, and waited.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want this to turn into me just spouting lyrics but for those interested the bands setlist is: 
> 
> Bleed Magic  
> Absinthe  
> New Invention  
> Lights Go Down  
> Sugar Pills
> 
> (All by I Don't Know How But They Found Me)

_“I wanna take you home  
A night out on the town  
Say that you’re pretty so you stand up stand up  
Before I drag you down”_

Eddie was transfixed. 

The man singing was beautiful; tall and broad, a mop of shaggy hair falling into his face, eyes closed behind his glasses as he breathily sung the opening lines of the song into the microphone. The stage lights shone behind him, basking him in blue. Fuck. Eddie had never felt gayer. 

He sipped his gin in a desperate attempt to ease the dryness in his mouth just as the singer opened his eyes for the second verse, singing to the crowd.

_“Crawling up your skin  
Potions pills and medicines  
To drain you  
And bleed your magic out_

_Oh-oh oh, oh-oh oh  
Oh-oh oh, oh-oh oh_

_Lonely little life  
And nobody believes you now  
You're bleeding magic out”_

The singer met Eddie’s eye and smiled into his mic. Fuck. Eddie was enjoying this too much, enjoying _him_ too much. The small rasp in his voice, how he grasped the mic stand and leaned back as he sang the high notes, before returning to his bass. His large hands, his _arms_ …

Eddie started when he felt a hand on his arm.

“You okay dude?” Ben half shouted at him.

He nodded quickly. “Oh yeah. They’re great. They’re really good. I got a bit lost in the song that’s all.”

“I’m glad you like them! The next song is my favourite, it’s called ‘Absinthe’”. Ben continued, “I told Beverly once that I loved how in control she is when she plays; she gets so engrossed in every song, her entire presence commands respect and attention and _god_ her arms-” he stopped, snapping out of his heart-eyes and looking a little embarrassed. “Sorry I uh got a little carried away there.”

Eddie laughed. “Nah it was cute.”

_“Crawling up your skin  
Potion, pleasing medicines  
To circumvent your brain”_

A shiver ran up Eddie’s spine as the singer hit the next set of high notes and he hoped Ben didn’t notice. ‘I need a breather’, he thought. 

“Hey man, I’m gonna go get another drink before the next song, you want one?”

Ben raised his empty bottle in answer. “Same again”, he smiled.

Eddie returned just as Bev hit her drumsticks in the air four times and launched into the beat of the song. Eddie looked over at his friend, chuckling to himself at Ben’s awestruck expression. 

Bev was incredible to watch, Eddie had to admit. So much energy poured into every one of her actions, her passion and talent evident with every beat. She seemed so at ease on stage, like she was born to be there. No wonder Ben loved seeing her play. 

Of course Eddie spent the rest of the song staring at the other man; how he danced around the microphone stand, bopping his head rhythmically whenever he wasn’t singing, illuminated in red and green.

All too soon the lights turned white, flooding the stage and showing the pair properly.

The singer spoke. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” he grinned, panning the crowd. “How are you doing tonight?”

There were a few scattered cheers, none as loud as Ben and Eddie who, at this point, had drank enough to lose their filters. 

On stage the singer smirked as he continued. “On drums we have the ever incredible Beverly Marsh. I, of course, am Richie Tozier, and we”, he paused, “are The Maine Revival.”

Eddie and Ben let out another whoop. 

The singer, Richie, looked over at them. “Always a pleasure, Benny Boy. Who’s your friend?” He cocked his head. 

“This is Eddie!! We grew up together!!” Ben yelled.

“Eddie”, Richie sang back. “Eddie Spaghetti. Are you having fun Eds?”

Eddie was a little lost for words, not expecting to be put on the spot. He simply nodded, hoping Richie couldn’t see the pink tinge in his cheeks.

“You know I love it when you bring your pretty friends Benny”, he winked. “Anyway, this is a new one, written by our very own Molly Ringwald here. It’s called ‘New Invention’ and it goes a little something like this…” 

The song started slower than the last two. Eddie found himself swaying and bopping in time to the beat. He was entirely unprepared for the sound of Richie’s voice as he started to sing;

_“You’ve got the devil on your shoulder  
You better shut your mouth just like I told ya  
You’ve been controlling me through fiction  
It’s obvious, I’ve got to break you like a bad addiction”_

Eddie couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw Richie wink at him from the stage before singing the next line:

_“Oh I can’t say no  
I’m losing control_

_I'm having bad dreams  
And nothing you can do will keep the  
Bad things away from me until I fall asleep  
Bad dreams  
Despite your good intentions  
The boy is like an architect  
And I am just a new invention”_

Eddie was barely lucid at this point; the words that Richie sung weren’t even registering, all he could focus on were his breathy vocals, the way he closes his eyes as he hits higher notes, the way his hands grip the microphone in its stand, what else those hands could be gripping…

‘Shit. I really have had too much to drink’, he thought. 

A sigh of relief escaped him as the song drew to a close. Beside him Ben let out a wolf whistle, clapping hard, pride and adoration clear on his face. Eddie joined in too, clapping and wooing loudly as the intro for the next song began to play.

This one was more upbeat. Eddie was thankful for that. Richie was loosening up on stage; dancing more, swaying his hips and shoulders to the music, getting lost in each instrumental section and looking criminally attractive, and Eddie could not tear his eyes from him. At least when Richie was bouncing around there was no chance of him catching Eddie staring.

A saxophone solo almost took him out completely; Richie was gyrating to the tune, completely lost in the moment, running his hands through his hair and up and down his body. At one point he dragged his shirt collar down and shirt hem up simultaneously and Eddie was pitching a tent then and there. 

“That’s our friend Stan”, Ben started, pulling Eddie from his trance. “Playing the sax. He’s like the unofficial third member. He does all of the keyboard and saxophone stuff and manages them, he’s really great! He told Richie that no one would want a saxophone solo in the middle of a song but Richie just said ‘eff the rules, I want one anyway!’ and they did it!! How cool is that!”

Eddie nodded seriously. “It’s very cool. Saxophones are very cool. I love this. Thank you for inviting me Ben. I’m having a lot of fun. I’m very drunk right now. Are you drunk? Do you want another drink?”

Ben fished a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and pressed it into Eddie’s hand. 

Eddie made it to the bar as the music to The Main Revival’s next song started to play. He placed his order and turned back towards the stage.

Richie stood clutching the mic stand again, head lowered, nodding and tapping his foot to the beat.

Without looking up, he started to sing:

_“I take one to make me feel better  
I take two despite any directions  
Three, four, five, just for the hell of it  
Seven, eight, nine, ten, starting to lose count again”_

He looked up and straight to the back of the room, seemingly directly at Eddie.

_“Could it be that it’s only in my head?”_

Richie broke their eye contact, taking the mic from its stand and bouncing to the chorus.

 _“Sugar, sugar, sugar pills  
Give me something more for my wild imagination  
Sugar, sugar, sugar pills   
Tell me that you're more than a sick fascination  
Fascination, fascination”_

God, Eddie was screwed. He picked up the glass and bottle from the bar and began making his way back to Ben.

Richie was going wild on stage, dancing around like Kate Bush to an electronic instrumental break. For reasons completely unknown it was making Eddie blush. 

The song ended with a flourish and the clack of Bev’s drumsticks hitting the floor. She walked to Richie, grinning, and the pair took an overly dramatic bow.

“We have been The Maine Revival, thankyou and goodnight!”, they yelled in unison before bounding off stage.

Ben cheered them off then looked over to see Eddie visibly pouting.

“Where are they going? That was only, like, five songs!”

“Oh, sorry bud, it’s an open mic night! Each band gets a thirty minute set”, Ben explained. “We can go meet them if you’d like? I’m going anyway, and I’m sure Bev and Richie would love you!”

Eddie had never wanted anything so badly in his life. His entire body was fizzing. It felt like he was plugged into an electrical socket and had 100 volts running through his veins. 

“Yeah Ben”, he said, feigning nonchalance. “That’d be great.”


	3. Chapter 3

Eddie woke up the next morning with a pounding head and the vague recollection of a dream in which he was about to kiss Richie. For a moment he considered going back to sleep and hoping his dream picked up from where it left off. The dryness of his mouth put a stop to that. 

He turned his head towards the nightstand beside him and squinted, surprised. Stood there waiting for him was a bottle of water, a bottle of energy drink, and a bodega receipt with “Morning Spaghetti!” scribbled on it. A small smile spread across his face at the memory of the nickname. It took a moment to realise that he couldn’t remember much else. Especially not Richie being in his apartment. 

With no idea what time he got home, how he got home, or what time it even was, Eddie grabbed his phone from the nightstand. It had been plugged in to charge overnight, and showed a missed call and a voicemail notification from an unknown number. Warily, he rang the voicemail service. 

“Spaghetti!!!” Yelled Richie’s voice. “I’m glad you’re sleeping, we-”

“Richie give me the _phone_ \- Hi Eddie honey”, said Beverly, “we got you home safely, I hope you don’t mind that we put you to bed, Ben locked your door and posted the keys back through your letterbox. I had such a great night, it was lovely to meet you!”

A rustling noise made Eddie pull the phone from his ear a little.

“Eds” Richie spoke again. “We got you a uh… An energy drink! Science says they cure hangovers because of all the elek- electr- el eck troh lights or somethin’ I dunno. Oh man Ben looks like he’s gonna puke. He’s puking. Oh my god Bev he’s puking. I’m gonna-”

There was a clatter and a small pause.

“Sorry Eddie! I hope you get some sleep, we’re heading home now too. Ben says your car is still at the bar you two met at. We should really do this again sometime Eddie!”

“Yes Edward Spaghedward we love youuu!!” Richie sounded, distantly. “Say ‘I love you’ Ben!” 

“I love you Eddi-”. He cut off, presumably to be sick again. 

There was another scuffle for the phone.

“Sorry Eds, Benny can’t handle his bevs! ANyway we definitely have to do this again sometime, you still owe me that kiss.”

The line was silent again for a couple of beats. 

He faintly heard Richie whisper “fuck, why did I say that right now?”, and another short burst of static before Beverly spoke again.

“Goodnight Eddie, we love you! Sleep tight!” 

The line cut out. 

Eddie listened to the voicemail a few more times, warmth and happiness settling in his chest. He had no memory of getting home. He had very few memories after leaving the first bar really.

He knows they stayed in that bar for a while; Bev and Richie joined the pair at their table for the next band’s set. He also remembered walking to a different bar, somewhere with a round booth set up, large enough that Eddie could see Bev across from him, and Ben and Richie at his sides at the same time. He remembered a lot of loud easy chatting. Richie’s sense of humor was crass and mostly consisted of winding Eddie up then exploding into a fit of laughter when he snapped. His cheeks flush a little at the memory of being teased. It was so easy, talking to Richie, like their energies matched completely, or like they had known each other their entire lives. Eddie also remembers the little pit of jealousy in his stomach that would burn whenever Richie made a flirty comment towards Ben and not him. Ben’s face would always go a little pink and he’d look sheepishly towards Beverly who would be howling with glee. Richie and Bev had an easy chemistry like that; they would bounce off of each other, each quip more outlandish than the last, only stopping when one of them buckled with laughter. 

Remembering the specifics of their conversation was the hardest part. All he had were fragments, small snapshots that made absolutely no sense. He remembered arm wrestling with Richie, and shouting “let’s take our shirts off and kiss!” He remembered taking a shot and shouting “hilarious! Hysterical!” as the others laughed at something Richie had said. He remembered stumbling back from the bathroom as Ben and Bev were leaving to head to the next bar, and Richie shouting “Eduardo, andale, let’s go!” before just picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder fireman style, jogging to catch up with Beverly. That was it. 

Sighing, Eddie finally took a sip of his water, and then of his energy drink, hoping that drunk Richie was right about the electrolytes. He just about let his eyes flutter closed again when his phone started to ring. 

“Edward Kaspbrak speaking”, he answered automatically.

“Hey Eddie, it’s Ben, from last night? How’re you feeling?”

Eddie let out a dramatic groan, making Ben chuckle. “Terrible, man. The water and gatorade are helping though, thank you for those. And for, uh, getting me home.”

Ben chuckled again. “Thank Richie for that. I’m sorry for all of us being in your flat. You were pretty drunk and Richie didn’t think it was a good idea to let you make your own way back. You told us your address freely so I guess you didn’t mind too much? Anyway, I’m headed over your way, would you like a lift to the bar so you can get your car? I can bring breakfast?”

Eddie let a small groan of relief escape. “That would be great, thanks man. I can be ready in half an hour?”

“Sounds good! I’ll see you soon Eddie.”

*********************

Thirty five minutes later Ben was kicking gently at Eddie’s door, hands preoccupied with brown paper bags and travel mugs. 

“I brought breakfast”, he smiled as Eddie opened the door. 

“Benjamin Hanscom I love you so much right now. Come in, gimme those.” Eddie took the mugs from Ben and motioned for the other man to enter. “Kitchen is first door on the left.”

“I didn’t really know what you’d like, but I went for a gluten free bagel with salt beef and spicy mustard? I have an everything bagel with cream cheese if you wanna swap, I don’t mind. I also got a plain gluten free bagel in case you were feeling super sick. Coffee is straight up.”

“You’re a good fucking dude Ben, salt beef is great. Sit.”

Eddie joined him at the kitchen island, pulling up a stool and unwrapping the bagel Ben brought him. God, it was still warm. He moaned involuntarily as he took his first bite. And his second. And his third. 

“Ben. You are saving my life right now. This is so what I needed, thank you man. You want to split the plain one?”

Ben smiled softly. “You’re welcome. It’s all yours buddy, Bev made me have some toast before she would let me drive. Plus I managed to get most of the alcohol out of my system last night.”

Eddie chuckled. “Yeah, I heard.”

The pair sat in comfortable silence as they drank their coffees and finished their bagels. 

“Hey,” Eddie spoke. “Thank you again for inviting me last night. Catching up has been great, and I loved Bev’s band. And Bev! She’s awesome. Richie too. I had a really great time.”

“I’m glad. I had a great time too, I’m glad I ran into you. Beverly also had a great time, she hasn’t stopped talking about us all hanging out again sometime soon. Richie too. I’ve not seen him show off like that in a long time”, he chuckled. 

“I would love that”, replied Eddie softly, earnestly. “Hanging out again, I mean. If you’re up for that.”

“We’re actually headed to Stan’s today, if you would like to come? You remember Stan? I mentioned him last night, he plays sax in the band?” 

Eddie nodded.

“Bev and Richie are workshopping some new songs with him. Stan’s wife Patty will be there, she’s awesome. I’m sure they’d be more than happy to have you too.”

Usually Eddie would decline. Usually he would smile and make his excuses and never see these people again if he could help it. But he genuinely enjoyed Ben’s company. He loved meeting Beverly. Honestly he hadn’t stopped thinking about Richie since the moment he clapped eyes on him. He would be an idiot to pass up an opportunity to hang out with them again. 

“You’re sure they won’t mind?” 

Ben’s face lit up. “I’ll text Patty and let her know.”

**********************

Ben was right, Patty was awesome. Stan too. They welcomed him with open arms, no questions asked and treated him like they’d known him his whole life. 

Stan had made a comment about meeting “the famous Eduardo”, earning a laugh from Bev and Ben, a light smack on the arm from Patty, and nothing but visible confusion from Eddie.

“Behave”, Patty had laughed.

“Do I want to know?” Eddie had asked Ben quietly.

“Don’t worry, Stan is dry like that he’s not mad at you. I think that Richie may have gotten some song inspiration last night, and that usually means waking Stan up with forty voicemail messages of musical notation. Seems you made an impression last night.”

That shouldn’t have made Eddie blush, but it did anyway. 

Stan offered him a wry smile. Eddie smiled back, and at once understood the dynamic of this group. The constant bickering was built on a solid foundation of love and mutual adoration, and the act of winding each other up was, in itself, a love language. A way of communicating so entrenched in their interactions that to others it seemed mocking and unkind, but to Beverly, Stanley, and Richie (and by extension Patty and Ben) it only proved how well they knew and loved each other. Eddie wanted nothing more than to be included in that.

The front door swung open suddenly, Richie barging in with an exaggerated “honey, I’m hoooome!” 

Everyone collectively rolled their eyes, but stood to greet him. Patty got there first.

“Pattycakes!” he yelled, planting a kiss on her cheek and throwing his arms around her. “How are you?” He crouched in front of her, tenderly pressing his forehead to her stomach. “And how is little Richie?” 

Patty laughed and ruffled his hair gently. “He’s good, I’m good, how’re you Ri-”

“Little Richie?” Stanley interrupted. “Why would my son have your name, numbnuts?”

“Obviously I fucked your wife, dude.”

“You’re gay, Rich.”

“Fine, I fucked you while you fucked your wife. Or maybe you just love me so much that you want to name your first son after me. Don’t ask me too many questions Staniel I haven’t slept”.

“Yeah, I know. I hate you”, Stan said without any venom.

“No you don’t”, Richie said, standing and pulling the shorter man into a tight hug.

“No, I don’t”, said Stan, hugging him back. 

“You’re alive then!” Teased Beverly from the kitchen where they had congregated.

“Ugh, you two look amazing”, started Richie, releasing Stan and looking over to Ben and Bev. “What the fuck happened to me?”

“It’s called sleep, Richie, maybe you could try it sometime?” 

“Divine inspiration struck, Ringwald, I can’t ignore that.” He made his way towards the pair. “I wrote three new songs last night, three! And I’m only slightly unhinged right now, this is good.” He grinned, pulling Beverly into a hug, who pulled Ben into the hug, and the pair encircled him. Richie let out a small relaxed sigh, closing his eyes and leaning in to the couple. When he opened them again he found himself staring directly at his muse.

Fuck.

He stiffened a little, but tried to plaster another smile on to his face, hoping desperately that Eddie didn’t see his momentary freak out. 

“Spaghetti! Nice of you to, uh, drop by! You look… well. Rested. I mean. Uh. Yeah. Nice to see you again!” He pulled away from Ben and Bev, silently praying that his brain would catch up to his mouth and that he would stop _talking_.

“Wish you guys would have told me _Eddie_ was coming, I would have…” he trailed off. “Made an effort.” 

Ben clapped him on the shoulder. “You look great, buddy.” 

Eddie smiled at him awkwardly. Inside, his brain was going haywire. ‘Fuck I knew this was a bad idea, he looked disappointed that I’m here. I should leave right? I could say I don’t feel too good or that I have work stuff to do or-’. A tinkle on the piano snapped him out of it. 

In his panic, he hadn’t noticed that everyone had gathered in Stan’s living room. Patty, Bev, and Ben had claimed the sofa, Stanley sat on his piano stool, and Richie stood next to him, leafing through some papers with his back to everyone. 

Eddie just stood there, unsure of what to do. 

“You can take the armchair, Eddie”, Patty said kindly. “Or we can switch, and you can sit here?”

“No, thank you Patty, the armchair is great”, he replied with a weak smile. 

“That’s the price of having a piano in the living room, only one sofa. Bev and Richie usually just take the floor.”

“OKAY”, boomed Richie, spinning to face the room and interrupting their chatter. “So, there’s four songs total; Stan has the melody down for one, he has some scribbles and four voice mails for another, but the other two are super fresh so you guys aren’t allowed to bully me for muddling through those with my guitar on my own, especially not when I’m practically baring my soul to a stranger here.” 

“What, you've never bore your hole to a guy you've known less than a day?” Stan smirked. 

Bev and Patty cracked up, and Ben gave Eddie a sympathetic glance but couldn’t stop the smile from creeping on to his own face. 

“Hah, Stan gets off a good one! Shut up, dickwad, play the song.”

“You don’t wanna introduce it first?” 

Richie shrugged. “We’re opening a few shows for a buddy of Ben’s’ band, so I wrote a song about how nobody likes the opening band. Shoot.”

Stan started to play, and Richie shuffled nervously, glancing around the room before starting to sing:

_“Oh, come and see the opening band  
Now that you've got your tickets and beverages in hand  
They look so tired, sound uninspired, guitars are secondhand  
'Cause no one likes an opening band”_

A small collective laugh bubbled around the room and Richie risked a glance at Bev; she was smiling widely, hands clasped beneath her chin, eyes focused on Richie. Confidence boosted, he continued: 

_“Nobody likes the opening band  
Their set time's far too early and I've never heard of them  
And chances are they won't go far, career is sure to end  
'Cause no one likes an opening band_

_Oh, unfamiliar things will make us nervous  
But singing here for you gives me a purpose, so_

_Take pity on the opening bands  
'Cause no one came to see them except their mom and dad”_

Another chuckle spread around the room.

_“But if you lend an ear and give them just one little chance  
You may just like the–  
You may just like the–  
You may just like the opening band”_

Stan and Richie finished the song with a flourish to rapturous applause and several whoops from Beverly. 

“Thoughts?” 

“I love it!” Yelled Bev.

“Yeah? I thought it would be a good opener, warm the crowd up a little bit so that they actually pay attention to us, you know?”

“That’s really clever, man”, Eddie said softly. 

Richie looked at him with a hint of suspicion. Realising Eddie’s genuineness, he smiled. 

“Thank you Eddie, my love. Benjamin, anything to add?”

Eddie spluttered, turning red at the nickname, thankful that Ben began speaking immediately.

“I think it’s great Rich, seriously. I think you’re right about it getting the crowd to pay attention to you, it’s like a little self-deprecating joke to draw people in before you get to the real stuff.” 

“The Tozier brand, baby! Pattycakes, anything to add?”

She shook her head. “Nothing but praise honey, it’ll just go to your head”, she teased.

Richie barked a laugh. “You know me so well. Anyway! This next one is a bit different, uh, style wise? I don’t really have the tune down so Stan might be a bit off but yeah, this one wouldn’t leave my head until I got it down.” He looked down at Stan. “You ready? Let’s go.”

Richie played a chord, starting to sing:

_“Frankly I’m scared of clowns  
And get togethers get me down  
But when you talk, it’s like, "Wow, I’m not crazy"”_

He strummed again, getting into a beat with Stan.

_“Don’t kill me 'cause I’m just the messenger  
I already went and took my temperature  
And I’m not sick, I took all my vitamins  
Yeah, I’m not sick, I’m just kinda different_

_Oh, different, so different  
They tell us to be different  
But no one told me I could go too far_

_Frankly, I’m scared of clowns  
And get-togethers get me down  
But when you talk, it’s like, "Wow, I’m not crazy"  
Frankly, I feel insane  
But you say you feel the same  
And suddenly, it’s like, "Hey, I’m not crazy"  
'Cause when you talk, it’s like, “Wow, I’m not crazy"_

_Don’t kill me 'cause I’m just the messenger  
I’ve never seen someone quite this strange before  
You’re just like me, you took all your vitamins  
You’re just like me and you take delight in it_

_Oh, different, so different  
They tell us to be different  
But no one told me I could go too far_

_Frankly, I’m scared of clowns  
And get-togethers get me down  
But when you talk, it’s like, "Wow, I’m not crazy"  
Frankly, I feel insane  
But you say you feel the same  
And suddenly, it’s like, "Hey, I’m not crazy"  
'Cause when you talk, it’s like, “Wow, I’m not crazy"”_

By this point Richie and Stan had gotten so out of sync that they collapsed into a fit of laughter and gave up playing entirely.

“Yeah! It would ideally have an instrumental section there, but nothing new lyrically after that point”, Richie eventually puffed out, taking his glasses off to wipe at his eyes. 

He loved this. Playing with Stan in front of their friends it didn’t really matter if what he wrote was good, it just had to entertain, if only for those few minutes. And everyone looked entertained.

Patty was laughing at the pair of them, at their bickering as they fell more and more out of time with each other while Richie tried to keep singing. Ben and Eddie looked as if they enjoyed the song. 

Bev looked at him, knowing. She was smiling, thinking about the night before. About how Richie fell into such an easy flow with Eddie, how their conversations were wild and boisterous and full of snark and impossible to keep up with, and how she’d never seen anyone who could keep up with Rich the way Eddie could. She nodded at Richie, meeting his eyes as she did so, trying to convey that she knew what he was saying, she heard him, and she felt it too. 

Smiling softly back at her, Richie tried not to let his nerves get to him. The thought of not having Stan as a buffer was making him feel even more vulnerable. 

‘C’mon Rich, you can sing a song about wanting to kiss a guy you’ve just met in front of all of your friends and also that guy right?’ He thought. 

Stan had moved to sit on the back of the sofa behind Patty, allowing Richie to perch on the piano stool, guitar in hand. 

He cleared his throat, then began to play.

_“No, I don't care  
About anything at all  
But I still stop and stare  
Every time that you call  
See, I know that boys like you  
Well, they don't come with guarantees  
So if you've got to spend your time  
Oh, won't you spend it with me?_

_I hope we kiss goodnight  
It might just end my life  
But if you think that it's right, right, right  
I hope we kiss goodnight  
I hope we kiss goodnight”_

Richie doesn’t look up, he can’t look up. He doesn’t want to know what anyone is thinking. He can’t face whatever look Beverly has on her face right now. He can’t see Stan’s awkward glances at Patty. He can’t bear to imagine how uncomfortable Eddie must look, must feel. So instead he carries on, hoping no one can hear the shakiness of his voice or the tears he’s trying to swallow down.

_“Should you invite me in  
To spend the night on the floor  
Oh please believe I'll be a gentleman  
Or you can show me the door  
While all my friends and I  
Leaf through the books on your shelf  
Now I don't want to spend my life  
With anyone else”_

Ben glances at Beverly, and she looks right back at him, both remembering flicking through Eddie’s collection of hardbacks and cookbooks while Richie was putting him into bed the night before. 

_“Why don't we kiss goodnight?  
Well, it might just end my life  
But I'm pretty sure that it's right, right, right  
Why don't we kiss goodnight?  
Why don't we kiss goodnight?_

_Why don't we kiss goodnight?  
It might just end my life  
I'm pretty sure that it's right, right, right  
Now we can kiss goodnight  
I don't want to spend my life  
Without your kiss goodnight  
Yeah, for the rest of my life, life, life  
I need your kiss goodnight  
I hope we kiss goodnight”_

Richie barely even stopped playing, just shifted nervously, mumbled something about the next one sounding better on ukulele, and started the next song.

_“If I'm out of line  
Just show me the door  
I promise you I  
I won't come here no more  
If you just tell me what you think about me  
I can collect all my things from the floor  
Promise the next time that you take my hand  
Is to show me the door  
Promise the next time that you take my hand  
Is to show me the door”_

He finished, stood up, and strode towards the bathroom to throw up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You caught me, there's a rogue AJR song in this chapter, entirely inspired by the fact that "Wow, I'm Not Crazy" makes me think about Richie thinking about Eddie, and that one video from their instagram live (this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h10stT_6Lqg )
> 
> I also hear Rich singing "Kiss Goodnight" the way it is sung in this video right here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8l_aCjy6Cw&list=LL&index=2
> 
> The other two are "No One Likes The Opening Band" and "Door"


End file.
